Microsoft and Nokia team up - an analysis

Software giant Microsoft and mobile phone manufacturer Nokia have jointly unveiled a new partnership, with an aim to start deploying Windows Phone 7 on Nokia handsets.

The joining of forces between the two companies is in order to bring a new global ecosystem to the mobile phone market, with a view to develop mobile products on an unprecedented scale – according to Nokia and Microsoft.

The two organisations are planning on creating not only market leading products, but also services for everyone from the consumer, to the mobile phone networks and developers.

Nokia and Microsoft plan is to use Windows Phone 7 as the main smartphone operating system on the Finnish company’s phones, which builds upon Nokia’s foothold in the market as a once leader in the phone world. This is backed by the Seattle outfits established presence in the mobile OS world, with their latest platform and history of phone operating systems dating back to the mid-nineties.

As a result of the two teaming up, Nokia will help drive the further development of the Windows Phone 7 environment with its knowledge of hardware and handset design. This will provide a reach into different price points and markets that Microsoft aren't currently in, such as the developing world where Nokia is already a large seller.

There are some Quid pro quos between the dynamic duo, such as Bing would be the Nokia default search engine on their devices and services with Microsoft’s adCentre being at the heart of the Nokia advertising from now on. Nokia Ovi Maps will be a fundamental part of Microsoft’s mapping services, which could even mean the preloaded maps could still remain a part of the Nokia handsets.

Microsoft’s own development tools for application writing will also be used to create apps for the ‘Nokia Windows Phones’, where Nokia applications will be integrated within Microsoft Marketplace.

One Mobile Ring

believes the partnership between Nokia and Microsoft will aid in resurrecting the fortunes of one company, whilst offering a more diverse portfolio to another and have them appear on more than a handful of top tier mobile phones in over a year.

Nokia will be able to use Microsoft’s name along with their operating system to run their phones, which will aid in global sales and more importantly, in America – where they have lacked in presence and not through the lack of trying.

Microsoft will finally have a strategic partner in the mobile phone hardware space, instead of just trying to be all things to all people and missing the margin by not having the expertise to tailor a platform to a specific piece of hardware that sets that phone apart from the others.

Windows Phone 7 didn’t have the big impact that the company had once hoped for, as each phone looked the same and operated in the same way where there was little innovation brought to the each mobile by Samsung, HTC and LG.

The teaming up of Nokia and Microsoft will potentially deliver new and exciting phones, with a better more tailored mobile OS that could exemplify the underlying hardware. This could finally highlight what Nokia can really achieve with their hardware and what Microsoft should really be doing by now, where both companies have a long history in the mobile world with nearly a combined 45 years within mobile phones.